El Petén, Guatemala — Guatemalan Army troops have arrested 10 and seized a plane with 422 packages of cocaine that was found landed in a border town with Mexico. The arrest and seizure of the plane came after gunfire exchange between army personnel and those waiting for the plane.
According to the spokesman of the Army of Guatemala, Colonel Óscar Pérez, during the early hours of Saturday, the Guatemalan Air Force detected an illegal flight. Upon detection, troops moved in to an area known as Estrella del Norte which borders with Tenosique, Tabasco.
When they arrived, they were shot at and a confrontation of bullet exchanges began, resulting in the detention of nine Mexican nationals and one Colombian. The Mexican nationals arrested were 31-year-old Leandro Pérez, William Pérez Zapata 18, Arturo Zapata Palenque 24, José Luis Cervantes 72, José del Carmen Zapata 38, Felipe Curz Alejos 47, Daniel Pérez Damián 33, César Garay Carrillo 18 and a 16-year-old minor who was injured by a bullet in his left leg. One unnamed Colombian national was also part of their arrest.
Óscar Pérez said that another group of approximately 15 more people managed to escape among the thick vegetation of the National Park of the Maya Biosphere Reserve. The Guatemalan Army were able to secure a white cesna plane and its contents which were 16 large packages with 422 smaller packages of cocaine, three hoppers for AK-47 assault weapons, three cell phones and one Mexican passport.
